Solon says Senate must hold full impeachment trial for Sara Duterte

A lawmaker urged the Senate to go beyond merely convening as an impeachment court and proceed with a full trial for Vice President Sara Duterte to answer allegations raised in the impeachment complaints against her.

Akbayan Party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña said his remarks reflected not only the sentiments of Duterte’s critics but also the calls of her supporters.

Cendaña noted Duterte’s continued absence from proceedings related to the impeachment complaints over the past two years.

“Eto na yung naging modus ni Vice President Sara Duterte mula noong nakaraang dalawang taon. Sa lahat ng pagdinig at paglilitis tungkol sa kanyang pananagutan sa mga pang-aabuso sa kapangyarihan, ang kanyang laging go-to action ay ’wag magpakita,” he said during a radio interview on DZRH.

(This has been the modus of Vice President Sara Duterte for the past two years. Throughout all the hearings and proceedings concerning her accountability for alleged abuses of power, her usual response has been not to appear.)

The lawmaker said the Senate should avoid a repeat of what happened during the Vice President’s earlier impeachment proceedings, where the Articles of Impeachment were eventually sidelined due to procedural technicalities.

Despite the recent developments that shook the Senate last week, Cendaña said the public deserves to see the impeachment trial proceed.

“Hindi po sapat na kanila lamang itong i-convene ang ating impeachment court. Kinakailangang tiyakin natin that the trial will proceed, magpapatuloy ang paglilitis at dapat po walang haharang para sa presentasyon ng ating mga matitindi at mabibigat na ebidensya,” he said.

(It is not enough for the Senate to simply convene as an impeachment court. We must ensure that the trial proceeds and that no one obstructs the presentation of strong and substantial evidence.)

Impeachment evidence

Unlike the previous impeachment complaint against Duterte, which contained seven articles of impeachment, the complaints deemed sufficient in form and substance, with probable cause by the House Committee on Justice, were consolidated into four articles.

These revolve around allegations of unexplained wealth, misuse of confidential funds, bribery, and verbal threats allegedly directed at President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

During the House Justice panel’s clarificatory hearings, lawmakers presented resource persons from government agencies and key individuals said to possess direct knowledge of Duterte’s alleged unlawful activities.

For several lawmakers involved in the proceedings, one of the strongest pieces of evidence cited was the Anti-Money Laundering Council’s reported findings involving alleged bank transactions amounting to ₱6.7 billion from 2006 to 2025.

Lawmakers said those findings, along with alleged discrepancies in Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth involving cash on hand and cash in bank, strengthened the case involving alleged unexplained wealth.

Senate vote

Should the impeachment trial proceed, conviction or acquittal would require an affirmative vote from two-thirds of all senators, as mandated under the Constitution.

This threshold is higher than in the House of Representatives, where only one-third of lawmakers are required to approve impeachment complaints.

If convicted, Duterte would not face criminal penalties through the impeachment process but would be removed from office and perpetually disqualified from holding public office, potentially affecting any plans to seek the presidency in 2028.